The Assurance of God’s Presence

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 

 “Fear not, for I am with you.” Variations of this statement are scattered throughout the Scriptures. It seems like every time God sent someone on an assignment, He had to repeat this phrase. After Moses died, He told Joshua to lead the Israelites to the promised land. We know Joshua was terrified because, in the first chapter of his book alone, the Lord had to tell him multiple times not to be afraid. At one point, God had to even reiterate it as a commandment! But can you blame Joshua? He had seen how the children of Israel had stressed Moses out for 40 years! To the point that he missed entering the promised land, the very reason for which he was called. Joshua had witnessed the many times the people had rebelled. These people were so stubborn that even the longsuffering and loving God, who turned a whole nation upside down to deliver them, was ready to wipe them out at one point. So, we can imagine that Joshua was not ecstatic about this particular assignment. He was terrified!

 But God didn’t respond to his fears by promising to send him an army to lead the people. He didn’t promise to change the situation to make it easier for Joshua. God didn’t offer any help that we would consider a logical solution to the problem. He promised him one thing… the assurance of His presence. Every time God said, “Fear not”, He followed it with “Because I am with you”. In His presence, is everything that we could ever need to overcome any situation and those in the Bible who took Him at His Word did powerful exploits that are still talked about today.

 David faced Goliath not because he had the military training to fight a giant or because he even had the right weapon. He faced a giant solely based on the belief that God was with him and would give him victory. Abraham left his family, his home, and everything he knew and headed to a place he didn’t even know because God promised to bless him and be with him. Imagine that! You leave your job, your friends, and everything you’ve built, pack up your family, and get in the car with no address to put in the GPS! All you have is an “I will be with you” from God. But this was enough for Abraham.

In his old age, Caleb was ready to fight giants because he believed that God was with him. Jeremiah had a face-off with an entire nation for years. His life was continuously threatened but he stood his ground till the end because he believed God was with him. The list of the lives that were transformed by “fear not, for I am with you” is endless! It is God’s answer to the fears that want to cripple us. It made regular people like you, and I forget their weaknesses and shortcomings and launch headfirst into some very sticky situations, making them the “heroes of the faith” that we so admire today.

 So I ask you: What’s got you paralyzed with fear today? Is it sickness? Bills? A new job? A presentation? The chaos going on in the world? Whatever it is, I am here to remind you to“Fear not for the Lord, your God is with you!” 

 I wonder what bold moves you would make today if you truly believed that. What risks would you take? Would you go back and get that degree? Would you send that application in? Would you start that business you’ve been putting off? Maybe you’ve been waiting on God to send the right amount of money, to create the perfect opportunity, or to send the right helper. None of those are the real solutions to your problem. It’s the assurance of His presence. That’s all you will ever need, and you have it. So, live boldly.